Access to Justice

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they intend to give effect to the recommendations of the Civil Justice Council on "improving access to justice through collective actions".

Lord Bach: The Civil Justice Council has provided an interim report. Its final report is expected towards the end of the year. Once the final report has been received, the Government will consider its contents and respond.

Airports: Stansted

Baroness Hamwee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whom the Secretary of State for Transport met to discuss the expansion of Stansted Airport; and from whom he took advice.

Lord Adonis: In the run-up to and since the publication of the 2003 air transport White Paper, Ministers have regularly met many different stakeholders to discuss aviation policies, including airport expansion.
	Following a public inquiry held in 2007, and in line with the planning inspector's recommendation, the Secretaries of State for Transport and Communities and Local Government allowed a planning appeal and granted planning permission to change two planning conditions attached to the Stansted Airport 2003 permission. The reasons for these decisions are set out in the Secretaries of State's letter of 8 October 2008.
	As is normal for cases of this kind, Ministers in both departments were advised by their respective officials on the issues relevant to the determination of this appeal.

Armed Forces: Short-take-off Aircraft

Lord Moonie: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What evaluation has been made of ultra-short-take-off fixed-wing aircraft as an alternative to helicopters for casualty evacuation in (a) current operational theatres, broken down by location; and (b) ongoing assessments of United Kingdom defence needs.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: MoD has considered tilt-rotor aircraft in the context of studies to inform the composition of our future aircraft fleet. Tilt-rotor aircraft can take off, land and hover in a similar way to a helicopter but can also convert to a turboprop aeroplane capable of high-speed, high-altitude flight. Studies have examined the potential utility of tilt-rotor aircraft in a wide range of operational scenarios including casualty evacuation in Afghanistan, but we do not currently assess that tilt-rotor aircraft would provide an advantage over the aircraft in our existing fleet in meeting our operational requirements.

Children: Poverty

Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the current economic situation will affect their targets for reducing child poverty by 2010; and what the projections are for (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011 and (d) 2012.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Government have set a challenging target to halve child poverty by 2010 and eradicate it by 2020. It does not make future projections of the number of children in poverty. The Government have recently announced their intention to legislate on the 2020 commitment.

Courts: Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What prohibitions exist on members of the public taking notes in the public galleries of courts in Northern Ireland; and what authorities govern the matter.

Lord Bach: Taking notes in court by members of the public in Northern Ireland is a matter for the direction of the individual judge. There is no legislative provision governing the matter. However the Northern Ireland Court Service has produced guidelines for members of the public advising that they should not take notes in court unless authorised by the court to do so. These guidelines are available on the court service website at www.courtsni.gov.uk.

Disabled People: Clay Pigeon Shooting

Lord Faulkner of Worcester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they are taking to promote the sport of clay pigeon shooting by disabled people.

Lord Carter of Barnes: Sport England has advised that it is currently assisting in the development of a whole sport plan and funding proposals for target shooting for the period 2009-13. This plan is being developed by representatives of a number of shooting national governing bodies, including the Clay Pigeon Shooting Association. It is anticipated that disability shooting will form one important part of the whole sport plan, and as such disability clay pigeon shooting will be a beneficiary of investment.

Education: Land-based Diploma

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which representatives of farmers, veterinary surgeons and farriers have been involved in preparations for the land-based diploma due to start in 2009.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: There has been a wide consultation to ensure that there is industry input into the development of the content of the diploma in environment and land-based studies.
	Amongst the members of the industry group covering farriery and veterinary nursing that took part in these consultations were:
	the Worshipful Company of Farriers;National Association of Farriers, Blacksmiths and Agricultural Engineers;British Small Animal Veterinary Association;Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons;British Veterinary Nursing Association; anda number of private veterinary practices.
	Amongst the members of the industry group covering agricultural crops and livestock that took part in the consultations were:
	Home Grown Cereals Authority;
	National Farmers Union;
	Soil Association;
	National Federation of Young Farmers;
	Tennant Farmers Association;
	BASIS;
	Farming and Countryside Education;
	Country Land and Business Association;
	British Institute of Agricultural Consultants;
	Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers;
	British Poultry Council;
	National Beef Association; and
	National Sheep Association.
	In addition to the organisations listed, representatives of relevant trade associations were also consulted.

Education: Land-based Diploma

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many students are expected to enrol in 2009 for the land-based diploma; and how many hours of work experience for those students will need to be provided by farmers, veterinary surgeons and farriers.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: Information from Consortia indicates that there will be approximately 3,621 places available for students wishing to enrol in 2009 for the diploma in environmental and land-based studies.
	Work experience will be a key feature of all the diplomas. Each diploma will require a minimum of 10 days in the workplace, at each level. Wherever possible, this work experience should be directly related to the diploma being studied, but its focus will be on developing employability skills so could be undertaken with a wide range of employers.

Education: Land-based Diploma

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How the land-based diploma will be supported; and whether the model will be similar to that for the construction industry.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: There is a common delivery model across all of the 17 diplomas. Diploma development partnerships bring together employers, further and higher education institutions, schools and awarding bodies to set out the content of the diploma. In addition, there is a programme of support for all consortia that are approved to deliver the diploma, along with a dedicated range of workforce development to support teachers.

Food: Pork and Bacon

Lord Hoyle: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What action the Department for International Development is taking to implement the public sector food procurement initiative in respect of its purchasing of pork and bacon; what proportion of pork and bacon purchased is British; what attention is given to farm assurance, animal welfare, and health and nutrition; and how often purchasing policy is reviewed.

Lord Tunnicliffe: The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs's (Defra) report to Parliament in November 2007 shows that the Department for International Development (DfID) procured 30 per cent of bacon and 30 per cent of pork from British sources during the period 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2007. These figures were also reflected in the more recent BPEX report "Is the Government Buying British" in July 2008. This is available online at www.bpex.orq.uk/Article.aspx?ID=296231. More up-to-date data will become available towards the end of the year when Defra plans to publish its new report. However, early indications show that DfID's percentage figures for British pork and bacon have increased significantly for the period 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008.
	The issue of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is highlighted within our tendering documentation for all new contracts. We are currently reviewing CSR policy and will ensure that the public sector food procurement initiative (PSFPI) is covered effectively.

Food: Pork and Bacon

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: asked the Chairman of Committees:
	Further to his Written Answer on 16 July(WA 168—69), whether he has referred the difference in quoted costs for bacon between the United Kingdom and the Netherlands to BPEX for its comment.

Lord Brabazon of Tara: No. The difference in cost between English bacon and Dutch bacon is a matter for the agricultural industry. We will continue to source bacon in line with House of Lords procurement policy.

Food: Prices

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	With reference to the report Food Matters: Towards a Strategy for the 21st Century by the Cabinet Office, whether any revenue raised by taxes on the generation of methane and nitrous oxide will be spent only on schemes that reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases or employ technologies to increase the use of energy from renewable sources.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The report concerned did not make specific recommendations on environmental taxation.
	As a general principle, the Government's spending priorities are not, except in limited circumstances outlined in the Treasury's budgeting guidance, determined by the way in which the money is raised. Hypothecating taxes to particular spending programmes causes inflexibility in spending decisions and can lead to a misallocation of resources, with reduced value for money for taxpayers. The spending review process ensures that resources are allocated efficiently to deliver government objectives and ensures priorities, such as education and health, receive the increased levels of funding, as set out in the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Homelessness

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How they are supporting churches providing homeless shelters.

Baroness Andrews: The majority of our homelessness grants are allocated to local authorities to support them in their work on tackling and preventing homelessness effectively, which includes rough sleeping, and it is for them to determine how they spend this grant.
	In December 2007 we announced homelessness grant funding of at least £150 million over the next three years 2008 to 2011 to continue to support local authorities and voluntary sector organisations to tackle and prevent homelessness in their area. In addition, we have also allocated £51 million of homelessness grant over three years 2008 to 2011 directly to the voluntary sector—the biggest ever cash injection for homelessness services.
	Also, local authorities spent £17.5 million under our supporting people programme for rough sleeping services in 2006-07.

Immigration: False Passports

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will reconsider the provisions of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Act 2004 concerning asylum applicants who travel on false passports.

Lord West of Spithead: We have no plans to review the provisions for sanctions against those persons who seek to enter the UK, without travel documents which satisfactorily prove their identity and nationality.

Immigration: Worker Registration Scheme

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How they use the funds raised from worker registration scheme fees.

Lord West of Spithead: All the funds raised from the workers registration scheme fees are used to cover the costs of processing and considering the application.

Immigration: Worker Registration Scheme

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the net gain to HM Treasury from A8 and A2 nationals paying worker registration scheme fees, taxes and national insurance contributions.

Lord West of Spithead: There is no charge for applications for work authorisation made by A2 nationals. There is no gain to HM Treasury from the fees for the workers registration scheme paid by A8 nationals as the fee is set to only recover the costs of processing and considering the application.
	Information about the net gain to HMT from A8 and A2 nationals is not available since the income tax and national insurance paid by migrants is not reported separately.

India: Orissa

Lord Patten: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they or non-governmental organisations supported by the United Kingdom are sending aid to the 8,000 Christian and Dalit refugees who have fled persecution to the camp at Raikia in Orissa state, India.

Lord Tunnicliffe: Camps such as the one at Raikia are organised and maintained by the Government of Orissa. At their request, the Indian Red Cross Society is providing medical services in Raikia through a non-governmental organisation. At the central level, the Department for International Development (DfID) supports the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, of which the Indian Red Cross Society is a member.
	It would not be appropriate for the UK Government to consider providing aid directly unless a specific request is received. However, DfID's Orissa tribal empowerment and livelihoods programme supports work with tribal communities in Kandhamal district in which the Raikia camp is located. So far the incidents in the district have not directly impacted on this programme.

Northern Ireland Office

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many staff and posts in the Northern Ireland Office will transfer to the Northern Ireland Civil Service if policing and justice are devolved.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: On devolution of justice and policing, those staff and posts working on devolving areas will transfer to the Northern Ireland Executive. It is not possible to provide numbers until there is clarity about which functions will be requested by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Passports

Lord Brougham and Vaux: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why the Passport Office does not send reminders that a passport is due to expire, as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency does for vehicle and driving licences.

Lord West of Spithead: A reminder system is not currently practicable and is unlikely to be so until the issue of passports is linked to the proposed national identity register, when it will be possible for passport address details to be kept up to date. Driving licence holders are required by law to notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency of any change of address, but there is at present no similar requirement on passport holders. Identity and Passport Service records therefore hold only the address given at the time a passport application was made and in many cases this will not be correct when the passport is due for renewal 10 years later.

People Trafficking

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the UK Border Agency will implement the 17 action points in the report of the Asylum Aid and the Poppy Project Good Intentions, produced on 24 July.

Lord West of Spithead: The UK Border Agency welcomes the report and the positive findings around gender sensitivity and the case-owner model. The agency has already met the Asylum Aid and Poppy Project to discuss the action points and is currently working on the implementation of those actions that were agreed.

Planning: Appeals

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Statement by Baroness Andrews on 30 June (WS 5—6), whether they will include in the list of cases where the Secretary of State will consider recovery of appeals those cases where the outcome will set a precedent for developments elsewhere in the country, even if the particular development under consideration is not major, substantial or significant.

Baroness Andrews: There is sufficient scope under the existing recovery criteria to recover appeals which might set a precedent for developments elsewhere in the country, including under the criterion "proposals which raise important or novel issues of development control, and/or legal difficulties" or under the general provision that "there may on occasion be other cases which merit recovery because of the particular circumstances".
	Whether a particular appeal merits recovery depends on the facts of the case.

Planning: Eco-towns

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Housing Minister, Caroline Flint, on 3 July (Official Report, House of Commons, 1058—59W) whether the draft sustainability appraisal on proposed eco-towns has been published; and, if so, where it may be accessed.

Baroness Andrews: The Government will shortly be publishing a sustainability appraisal together with the draft eco-towns planning policy statement for consultation. Copies of these documents will be placed in the House Library.

Police: Macpherson Report

Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the recommendations in the Macpherson report into the murder of Stephen Lawrence have been implemented; if so, with what results; and, if not, what action, if any, is proposed.

Lord West of Spithead: The police service has made substantial progress over the past nine years in increasing the proportion of minority ethnic officers and staff in its workforce. Currently, minority ethnic officers and staff together represent 5.6 per cent of the service.
	The increase of minority ethnic officers to 4.1 per cent of warranted officers represents a doubling in representation since 1999. However, despite this progress, the service recognises that there is a lot more to do to achieve a truly representative service which is reflective of the communities it serves.
	The policing Green Paper: Cm 7448 From the Neighbourhood to National: Policing Our Communities Together, http://police.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/policereform/Policing_Green.pdf, sets out a shift in the Government's approach to targets, setting out performance management generally. In future, there will be a single top-down numerical target for forces relating to public confidence. The emphasis will be on national support with greater local responsibility.
	The Green Paper also sets out proposals to develop an equality, diversity and human rights strategy. The strategy will include local setting of equality standards. The aim of these standards, which are currently being developed by the National Policing Improvement Agency, will be to assist the service to continue to improve performance and mainstream activity on equality and diversity. The standards will be set within a framework which will support authorities and forces in setting equality standards locally with national oversight retained through a new, more robust HMIC inspection regime including a proposed 2010 workforce inspection which will scrutinise (among other issues) the equality standards.
	The Government are currently consulting on whether the equality standards should include local employment targets such as for race and gender. This shift from national target-setting will provide for targets being agreed locally by police authorities in consultation with communities. This local approach would provide more local ownership and help reflect the needs of local diverse communities.

Post Offices

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Minister for Employment Relations and Postal Affairs, Mr Pat McFadden, on 3 July (Official Report, House of Commons, 1142W), why, if the Post Office is responsible for the closure of post offices, it is not managing the process for the replacement of the Post Office card account.

Baroness Vadera: The Department for Work and Pensions has lead responsibility for arranging the payments of pensions and benefits, and for procuring such services and suppliers as are necessary to ensure that these payments are made to all its customers. The DWP is therefore the lead contracting authority for the existing Post Office card account, and will be the lead contracting authority for the replacement Government card account which is currently the subject of a tender process. The department is responsible for Post Office network policy and also manages the Government's shareholder interests in Post Office Ltd. It plays no role in the procurement process for the Government card account.

Prisons: Mental Health

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In what respects provision for mental health in the Prison Service in Northern Ireland differs from England and Wales and
	What proposals they have for bringing mental health provision for prisoners in Northern Ireland in line with England and Wales.

Lord Bach: Prison healthcare was transferred on 1 April 2008 to the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety within the Northern Ireland Administration and is therefore a matter for them.

Privacy

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What proposals they have for reforming the law of privacy as it affects the media.

Lord Bach: The Government have no plans to legislate in this area. They believe that the balance to be struck between freedom of expression and the right to privacy is best left to the courts to determine on the basis of the individual circumstances of each case.

Railways: Class 442 Units

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many class 442 units are available for deployment on Britain's railways (in and out of service); and where they are located.

Lord Adonis: In total there are 24 x 5 car class 442 units. Southern Railways leases 17 x 5 car units and 7 x 5 car class 442 units are off lease and currently stored at Eastleigh depot by Angel Trains.

Railways: Class 442 Units

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How much time and money has been spent on officials, consultants and modifications in redeploying class 442 units from the former South Western Franchise to their present deployment.

Lord Adonis: This information is not held by the Department for Transport. However, it should be noted that this is normal business for a rolling stock company (ROSCO) which will identify opportunities to redeploy its trains on other parts of the network when they come off lease.

Railways: Class 442 Units

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the estimated cost of modifying the class 442 units redeployed to the southern franchise.

Lord Adonis: This information is not held by the Department for Transport. However, we believe that the southern franchise will spend in the range of £10 million refurbishing the 17 units, which will operate between Victoria and Brighton stopping at Gatwick.

Railways: Class 442 Units

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What are the factors involved in moving the class 442 units.

Lord Adonis: The class 442s are owned by Angel Trains and had come off lease from South West Trains, which decided not to keep them when it bid for their franchise replacement. Angel made an offer to lease the trains to Southern that had a requirement to extend some of their Gatwick Express trains to Brighton and needed more trains to operate the service which was accepted.

Railways: Franchises

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 29 September (WA 41), why the design of railway franchises does not take into account their potential use as an investment vehicle.

Lord Adonis: The Government do consider all possible methods of funding investments. The Department for Transport's approach is to ensure investments are appropriate to the organisation, offer value for money, are affordable and meet wider transport objectives.

Railways: Rolling Stock

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answers by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 29 September (WA 419—20), whether they direct the hire or use of rolling stock fleets.

Lord Adonis: In the normal course of events the Department for Transport does not direct the hire or use of rolling stock fleets.

Railways: Time-keeping

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the public performance measure for the time-keeping of trains reflects the service experienced by the travelling public.

Lord Adonis: The public performance measure reports punctuality at trains' destinations. The lateness of a train during its whole journey contributes to lateness at its destination, and to this extent the experience of the travelling public is reflected in this measure.

Roads: A40

Lord Brougham and Vaux: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When the widening of the railway bridge on the A40 at Acton will be completed; whether they plan to make the rest of the A40 three lanes each way; and, if so, when this will be completed.

Lord Adonis: Responsibility for the A40, from central London to the London boundary, lies with the mayor and Transport for London. Questions on such operational matters as to when this project will be completed and whether the rest of this section of the A40 will be widened to three lanes should be directed to them. However, I note that Transport for London's published expected completion date for the project is summer 2009.

Transport: Heavy Goods Vehicles

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 16 July (WA 174—75), whether heavy goods vehicle drivers (a) are charged a fee when checked for violations of traffic laws; (b) are charged court costs upon conviction; and (c) have an invoice sent to their head office after inspection or conviction.

Lord Adonis: (a) No fee is charged when vehicles are checked at the roadside.
	(b) If a defendant is convicted of an offence, the Vehicle and Operator Service Agency (VOSA) will apply to the court to allocate costs from the defendant. It is at the discretion of the courts whether they wish to do so, and they will take into account a range of factors including the defendant's ability to pay.
	(c) No invoice is sent.

Turks and Caicos Islands

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What assistance was given to the Turks and Caicos Islands following the recent hurricanes, particularly Hurricane Ike.

Lord Tunnicliffe: Technical experts were pre-deployed to the Turks and Caicos Islands in advance of Hurricane Ike. RFA "Wave Ruler" and HMS "Iron Duke" arrived shortly afterwards and helped organise the first distributions of food, water and shelter materials.
	In financial terms the UK Government have so far provided £200,000 to help meet emergency needs. This includes £80,000 through the International Red Cross, £90,000 through the Pan American Health Organisation for urgent health and water supply needs, and £30,000 for the stock supplies of tarpaulins and water containers from the Royal Navy ships.
	We are currently providing technical assistance to develop a longer-term recovery plan and will consider further financial assistance in the light of an independent socio-economic impact assessment currently being prepared by the United Nations.

Welfare Capitalism

Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What effect welfare capitalism has on their policy; and who are the beneficiaries.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Government's economic objective is to build a strong economy and fair society, where there is opportunity and security for all.

Zimbabwe: Asylum Seekers

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many unsuccessful Zimbabwean asylum applicants are in detention pending removal; and whether they will grant them and others in the United Kingdom temporary leave to remain until the situation in Zimbabwe is improved.

Lord West of Spithead: The UK Border Agency only detains those Zimbabwean nationals who have committed crimes within the United Kingdom, are subject to deportation action and have been assessed as unsuitable for release due to being either a threat to the public and/or likely to abscond. Provisional management information indicates that, as at 29 September, there were 36 Zimbabwean nationals convicted of crimes within the UK who were held in detention pending deportation action. All such individuals have the opportunity to apply for release on bail to the independent Asylum and Immigration Tribunal.
	The situation in Zimbabwe is currently being considered by the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal. We have no plans to resume enforced returns to Zimbabwe before the tribunal has reached its conclusion. The timing of the resumption of enforced returns will take full account of the situation in Zimbabwe at the relevant time.
	Where a decision has been made that a person does not require international protection, and there are no remaining rights of appeal or obstacles to their return, we expect unsuccessful asylum seekers to return to their country of origin. Return and reintegration assistance is available through the International Organisation for Migration.
	We will continue to help those Zimbabweans who want to go home voluntarily.
	The Prime Minister informed Parliament on 10 July that the Government are actively looking at the situation of those Zimbabweans who do not have a protection need but who have not returned home voluntarily. That consideration is currently ongoing and the Government will report back to Parliament once this has been completed.